Inseperable
by LilFlyergirl
Summary: Old and new characters enter the Avengers world, putting a strain on Clint and Natasha's relationship.
1. Working Girl

Trust

A/N: My God it's been years since I've written fics, but since The Avengers, and Clint and Natasha... I can't resist. I. LOVE. JEREMY. RENNER. LOVE HIM.

Chapter 1: Working Girl

Natasha walked the bar, trailing her finger along its smooth wooden surface. Her stilettos clicked seductively as she walked, rubbing against a blister at the back of her heel. Well, she was working, and beauty had a price. Every male eye in the place was on her, and that's exactly what she wanted. Two eyes in particular made her smile. First, was Clint. She knew he was high on the catwalk by now, watching her back. The thought comforted her. There was no one else she trusted completely anymore except for him. He knew her deepest secrets and fears, and how to reach her. Only one man before him could do that to her...

"Keep smiling like that, and I'm going to have to take down a whole room of men." Said Clint's voice in her ear.

"Shh, I'm working." She snapped at him in a hush.

"Well, heads up. He's on your six."

Natasha smiled. "I know." She turned slowly, resting her back against the bar, her red tendrils brushing its surface, and scanned the crowd for her target. He was the other eye she wanted. The place was swanky. There were hundreds of couples that had come to Dubai for Prince Mayamid's marriage. She and Clint weren't here for the festivities, however. This man had relations with the Ten Rings, the terrorist group that had abducted Stark a few years back. SHIELD wanted information from the Prince and his dealings, and whether or not he was indeed funding that group.

She spotted the prince chatting with a guest, but stealing looks at her every few seconds. Natasha subconsciously rolled her eyes. This man was a notorious pig, and even at his own wedding, didn't have eyes for only his new wife. Still, that was what Natasha banked on. She licked her lips and moved her left leg slightly just enough that it would poke out of the thigh high slit. She waited for a smart comment from Clint, but he was silent. It did get the prince's complete attention, and he excused himself from his guest and made his way over to her. Natasha smiled. Time to go to work.

The prince was a short fellow, with a mop of short hair that reminded her subtly of a lion's mane. He drank in her beauty, more importantly her low cut Dolce & Gabanna black dress, and smiled. "I noticed you're here alone."

Not quite. She shrugged, "It's my style."

"Ah, a luxury I could never afford."

"Funny thing to say at your own wedding."

The Prince laughed, "You are talking to a man who just married his seventh wife." He reached for her hand, "Prince Mayamid. And you are?"

"Natalie." She said, "Natalie Rushman."

The prince brought her hand to his lips, "Enchanted, Miss Rushman."

"I bet he is." Clint scoffed.

Natasha smiled at Mayamid, supressing a laugh at Clint's snide comment, and turned back to the bar. If it hadn't been for her years of practice, she'd have laughed at Clint. But she was on the clock, and she was in the zone and there was zero tolerance for a fuck up right now.

"Can I get you something?" He asked, resting beside her.

Natasha smiled. "A lager would be nice." She could drink any man under the table, even Clint on a good day, and this prince that stood beside her with his mane of hair and his fake smile and pompous charm… piece of cake.

Prince Mayamid raised his eyebrows. "I'm surprised that someone as beautiful as you prefers such a vile drink."

"Does that line actually work?" Clint demanded in her ear and she knew he was just rolling his eyes.

"What would you suggest?" She asked Mayamid. Did he actually think she went for drinks with a little umbrella?

Mayamid smiled, and nodded to the bartender. "Two of my specials."

Natasha's internal red flag went up. Whenever a guy in his position ordered a special, it was more or less spiked, and she was glad for her angel in the sky. He'd have a bird's eye view of exactly what toxin was being put in it. She pulled up short. Angel in the sky? Where the hell had that thought come from? She loved Clint, yes, more than any man she had ever known… even more than her husband. Oh, how she loved Alexei…

_Don't go down that road right now, Natasha. _Her brain yelled at her. Focus. You need information from this douchebag, and the drink you're about to receive is more than likely laced with something. Natasha moved her leg casually, and the holster on her inner thigh was a comfort. In it held a loaded .22, one of her favorite guns. Beside the gun was an antidote that Bruce had concocted, especially for this mission. It would counter-act a poison in the blood stream.

Sure enough, Clint's voice came in her ear, "Watch out, that drink is hot. It was clear, more likely than not, it's Seraphin."

Natasha gritted her teeth. Seraphin was a widely used date rape drug. It was world wide, and fairly cheap on the black market. However, she used this time to get closer to the prince, and circled her arms around his neck. He smiled at her advance, and tucked his arms around her waist. He leaned in close and whispered,"I like an affectionate woman." He said.

Years of training kept Natasha close to this pig, even though his breath smelled like salami and she could feel something growing against her abdomen. She needed her answers, but not here, and she needed him pliable.

"Here you are, sir." The bartender handed Mayamid his drink while Natasha's sat on the bar. Clever. He'd know which one was spiked.

Mayamid snatched his from the bartender, and then gave Natasha hers. "What shall we toast to?" He asked her.

Natasha thought a moment, and then said, "To weddings."

Mayamid grinned, and clinked her glass. He waited for her to take a sip. Natasha discretely took a whiff to see if she could pick up anything right from the bat, but nothing rang a bell right off. She sipped it slightly and rolled it around on her tongue. It was fruity, but it was…off. And then, that slight bitter taste tipped her off. It was Seraphin. Clint was right. She had tasted this drug numerous times. A little went a long way, and she'd soon be feeling the effects. Drowsiness, then unconsciousness, then eight hours later, waking up with one nasty hangover. An untrained tongue would have passed the taste off on the alcohol. Her teeth snapped against the lower row. How many women had fallen prey to this? Her leg that held her holstered gun spasmed slightly. How she wanted to shoot off a certain part of the prince's. Something he'd miss dearly…She swallowed slowly, feeling the warmth of the alcohol burn her throat.

"Get that out of you." Clint warned.

Mayamid downed his drink with a flourish and watched her anxiously.

Natasha sat hers on the bar, and circled her arms around his neck again. "Let's go somewhere private."

Mayamid smiled, "In due time. Drink first, my dear."

Natasha hitched her leg up and around his waist, and she felt that familiar bump against her again. "I'm not that thirsty."

"I can't watch this." Clint grunted. And then, "Heads up, his old lady's coming."

Damn. This was something she had hoped to avoid. She did not want Mayamid's new wife to see him with a strange woman. The girl was clean and didn't deserve that. Natasha glanced up at the ceiling. Clint knew that look. She wanted him to head his new bride off at the pass. Clint acted fast. He stowed his bow and arrow on the catwalk. Holstered his gun in his inside vest pocket. And straightened his dark Armani suit. "On my way. Barton out."

Mayamid brought his lips to her neck, and out of the corner of her eye, Natasha saw Clint descend from the heavens, and her breath momentarily caught in her throat. There were no ways around it. Clint Barton was an incredibly handsome man and he could handle a bow with elite precision. His face fell when he saw her with the prince, and he quickly adverted his gaze. Natasha felt a pang. She hated seeing him hurt. But he shouldn't be hurt… this was just work. Still, his expression…

"Let me take you somewhere more comfortable," Came a throaty voice in her ear. How she wished that voice had been Clint's. How it was he kissing her neck like that. But there was no time for that. Maybe she needed a solo mission to clear her head doing surveillance in Kenya for six months. Something to keep her on her game and not thinking about Barton. But when she wasn't thinking of him, she was still thinking of him…

_Get back to work, Natasha._

And that's when it hit her. Her eyelids became heavy, and her eyes rolled in her head a few times. She needed that antidote, and now. She put on a smile for Mayamid, and let him lead her away. They passed a woman's room, and she dashed inside, went inside a stall, and put her hand to her ear. "I'm with Mayamid, I think he's taking me to his room. I'll get the info on those nukes. I'll meet you at the extraction point in an hour. Natasha out." Her voice barely sounded like her own, her speech was so slurred. She kicked open the stall door, walked to the sink, and looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was disheveled, and she finger combed it back into place. She reached into her holster and pulled out the antidote. The small crystal vile glistened in the lighting. She tugged open the stopper, and gulped it down. It burned, and it didn't taste half as good as her drink. She took a deep breath. Instantly she felt better. Her vision cleared, the heaviness in her head gone. Thank God for big green scientists. She'd have to send Banner a fruit basket. She put the empty vile back in her holster, pulled open the door and re-joined Mayamid.


	2. No More Mr Nice Girl

Chapter 2:No More Mr. Nice Girl

Please review! A glimpse of Tony is in this. We all love Tony and his wit :)

Natasha followed Mayamid up a long winding marble staircase. She envied and viewed the magnificent architecture that went into something like this. Pale marble awnings, rich wood floors and granite banisters were on each side of her as she walked, her arm linked in Mayamid's as he told her about the various artworks they passed. Natasha looked down over the banister on her right side, and saw the party still in full effect. No one had missed the prince. She quickly scanned the crowd for Clint, knowing he'd have placed himself in an easy position for her to find him. She spotted him right away, almost in the center of the room, his arms wrapped around Mayamid's new bride as they slow danced. He looked up, and caught her eye. She gave a small nod, and he returned it. Natasha turned back to Mayamid and began asking generic questions about the artwork. Finally, he stopped outside a set of thick white french doors. A guard stood on either side of them.

"My dear, would you care to join me for a refreshment?" The prince asked.

Natasha smiled, and in return licked her bottom lip. She glanced down and found Mayamid's pants practically ready to burst open at her latest gesture. Oh, how easy men like this were.

Mayamid beckoned forward, and the guards opened the doors. He turned to them. "No interruptions. At all."

The guards nodded.

Natasha walked into the bedroom which was easily as big as the hall downstairs. A Canopy bed was center in the room, draped in wedding white. Natasha felt her stomach turn. This was set up for the honeymoon, and he was willing to christen that bed with her. Low music played, the lights were dim, and a bottle of champagne and au devours sat against the west wall. The east wall was decorated with plate glass windows. Natasha walked casually over to the windows to plan her escape route. There was no ledge, but they were only one story up. When she jumped, her landing wouldn't be that bad at all. She heard the door close behind her with a slow click of the luck. She frowned. Really? He was locking her in?

He'd pay for that.

Mayamid joined her at the window and took her hands. "You are lovely in the moonlight, my dear."

Natasha smiled, walked over to the bed and sat down. She tapped the space beside her, and he joined her. He tackled her, pinning her to the bed. He was a fast worker. His hands went immediately to her thighs, reaching up between them. Oh, hell no. He was not going to find her gun while reaching for the promised land. Natasha reached her her right leg up and kicked him with a force that knocked him onto the floor.

"Oh, you like it rough!" Mayamid exclaimed, grabbed her leg and dragged her to the floor. She busted her mouth on the corner of the bed's boxspring. That hurt. Playtime was over. Natasha jumped to her feet, reached up under her dress (Mayamid practically drooling) and turned her gun on him. "Enough, Mayamid."

Mayamid stared up at her from the floor. "Oh, I have whips and chains!"

She kicked him in the face, and he groaned, clutching his bloody nose. He lay on the floor, moaning. She walked to him and pressed the point of her stiletto into his chest, her gun still on him. "What do you know about the Ten Rings?"

"I think you broke my nose, you bitch," He said.

She smacked him across the face. "That's not all I'm going to break if you don't answer me. You shout or alert any guards, and well, this place will get more fun. I'll not only take them out, but your new bride as well. You don't want that blood on your hands, Mayamid." She spat. This was her mission. Gather the intel. If she had to threaten him with this, so be it. She was done spilling innocent blood, but if she had to take out his guards, she could live with that.

He continued to moan in pain. She reached down and grabbed his left arm as his right was glued to his nose. "One wrong twist and you'll only have one arm to stroke it with." She siad. "What do you know about the Ten Rings?" She asked as she applied pressure to his arm.

"They're a cover!" He reached behind and tore at her dress.

She applied more pressure and felt the pop of his shoulder disconnecting. "Don't do that again."

Mayamid howled with pain.

"A cover for what?" She demanded.

"A cover for Ling! General Ling in China! He's in charge of all of it. He runs the show."

"How are you connected?"

"I pay him for protection, filtering the money through the Ten Rings. He gives me weapons. We bargain on the nukes. He's got them all. I need to stand up against other people, other countries. I can't have my palace destroyed, my children murdered. I do this for them. All for them." She let him go and he slumped to the floor. She placed a hand to her ear. "You get all that?"

"Copy that, Agent Romanova." Hill said.

Natasha walked to the window, and glided it open. She looked over her shoulder at Mayamid. He had passed out from the pain. She rolled her eyes. The drop looked a lot longer when she was faced with it. But Clint was waiting for her, and she knew she was past her deadline. She took a deep breath, and jumped.

Clint sat silently in the shadows of their extraction point. This was where he was at his best. The cool night air greeted him. He watched, waited, and listened. He could see the city lights in the distance. He could hear the rustling of the wind through the trees. Natasha was late. He peered into the darkness, looking for any sign of her. He had tried reaching her on her comm. three times, and was about to go in after her when there was movement to his right in the distance. It was definitely human, he picked up the rapid footfalls. He squinted, and saw a female outline running toward him.

"Sorry I'm late." Her voice greeted his ear, and he smiled.

"Your conversation with the prince has been uploaded to headquarters. Fury's got people tracking Ling's whereabouts."

She smiled at him. She could always count on him to get the job done. "Where's the chopper?"

"It's close."

Natasha stripped off her shoes, and frowned at the broken heel. "Dammit. I liked these."

Clint looked her over, and noticed her dress had been torn in a few places. A few places that he didn't mind, truth be told. She had a few scrapes and bruises on her arms, and a fat lip. "Are you alright?" He asked her.

"Yeah, I feel fine now. That antidote of Banner's..." She bit her bottom lip.

"What is it?" He asked her.

"China's horrible this time of the year."

He laughed, shrugged off his jacket, placed it around her shoulders and buttoned her inside of it. "You're going to freeze in the chopper with your dress in rags."

She snuggled into his jacket. It smelled like him, and it was warm. She cocked her head to the side, and rested her head against her shoulder, and softly closed her eyes. Her mission was over. She was exhausted. Clint smiled down at her, grabbed the front of his jacket and pulled her into his arms. What a remarkable woman she was. She was beautiful, talented, smart, and she was here in his arms. She was the one person he was remotely close to. "You're beautiful," He whispered.

Her eyes opened once more, and she looked up at him gazing down at her. He caught a glistening of tears in her eyes as she looked up at him with her wounded face and tattered dress. She had been called that numerous times this evening, but this was the only time it sounded sincere. The air between them was so charged, and they were so close, and all she would have to do would be to reach up on her tip toes and plant a kiss against his warm lips. They were in sync, these two, and it was like he knew exactly what she was thinking. He bent his head down, and reached a hand up to rub his thumb along her swollen bottom lip. She stared deep into his blue eyes, waiting for his lips to meet hers. She had never wanted anything more in this moment. He lowered his hand, and bent his head further. She reached up and...

"Natasha, Clint, chopper ETA thirty seconds." Hill's voice in their ears broke them apart and they looked skyward when the whooshing of the trees overhead called their attention. She thought she heard Clint give a knowing chuckle, and then rubbed her back affectionately.

The ride back to base was uneventful except for him taking the seat next to her and asking if she was warm enough. How close they had become to becoming something more. Something more than partners who moved in sync. More than allies. More than friends. She caught him staring out the window, wondering if he shared her thoughts. Would it be so bad if she and Clint became lovers? She wasn't in Russia anymore. This wouldn't be anything like what happened to Alexei... or would it?

No, she thought. SHIELD was nothing like the KGB. Still, she knew they would frown upon their relationship should they choose to have one. With all of this on her mind, she laid her head against Clint's shoulder and closed her eyes.

"Well, if it isn't Blackhawk." Tony greeted the pair on the helipad of Avengers Tower the next morning.

Clint walked by him without a word, but Natasha stared at him. "What?"

"Blackhawk. You know, I combined your names, like Brangelina, Penis..."

Natasha cocked her eyebrow. It was too early in the morning for Tony's jibber jabber. "Penis?"

"Combination of Katniss and Peeta, two fictional characters from the The Hunger Games trilogy. You should read it. It has... killings."

Natasha shook her head and walked past him after Clint.

"What happened to your dress?" Tony called after her.

Natasha walked down the hall to her room, only to find it locked. Or perhaps the door was jammed. Natasha struggled with door, and let out an exasperated sigh. How she just wanted to kick the damn thing in, but she knew if she damaged Stark's five thousand dollar door, he'd be more pompous than usual. Clint's room was right next to hers, so she decided to ask if he could give her a hand. What she really needed was to get out of this dirty dress and take a shower, and clear her thoughts. "Hey, Hawk?" She called.

"Yeah?" He asked, walking out of his door. He was dressed in a plain black shirt and loose sweatpants, and his hair held crystaline drops of water. She turned her attention to his face instead, as that shirt fit him a little too well.

"I can't get my door open."

Clint stepped in front of her and tried the lock. "It's stuck."

"I know that."

"I don't want to break it."

"Well, don't turn it so hard."

"Did you tell Stark?" He asked.

To both of their surprise, the door was pulled open, and a lovely young blonde haired, blue eyed woman stood before them.

"Oh, that's Bobbi." Tony said behind them.


	3. Welcome Home

Chapter 3: Welcome Home

A/N: I am taking some liberties with Bobbi's character... she is very young in this, as in her introduction.

Recognition shined on Bobbi's face and she smiled from ear to ear. "Agent Barton, hello. My name is Barbara Morse, but everyone calls me Bobbi."

Natasha squinted her eyes and peered around Clint to get a good look at this woman. She was young, in her early twenties. She had that "smart people" air about her.

Clint extended his hand, "Welcome to the team."

Bobbi smiled at Natasha. "Agent Romanova, nice to meet you. I'm sorry, Tony gave me this room, he said they're under renovations..."

"Bobbi's been assisting Big Green on his research. She's smart, and sexy, and smart." Tony said.

Bobbi blushed, "I've known Nick a long time. He was friends with my father, and I've been consulting the past week. I think Nick wants to make me a permanent member."

"Do you work in the field?" Natasha asked.

"I just completed my training. I'd love to go on a mission or two."

Natasha felt a hand tap her shoulder. She turned and found Fury behind her. "A word, please, Agent Romanova."

Nick Fury stood in the common area of Avengers Tower, and stared out the plate glass windows overlooking the city. Stark did get prime real estate. He heard Natasha step softly up behind him. He glanced over her shoulder, and saw her staring at his back with tired eyes and a bloody lip. She was encased in Barton's jacket and she was barefoot, her mangled shoes dangling from her hand. She was a warrior returning from battle.

"First, let me congratulate you on a job well done. Prince Mayamid's intel was top notch."

"Thank you, sir." She whispered.

"I put you and Barton in the same room for the time being while Stark completes his uprades. I trust that won't be a problem."

Natasha had to hide her smile. The two of them had slept in the same bed before, but this would be different, especially after what had almost happened last night. This would be good, a real test. They'd practically be living together. "Not a problem at all."

"Good. You've earned a rest. Is there anything I can do for you for the time being?"

"No, sir, I'd just really like to shower."

Fury smiled, "Absolutely."

Natasha turned to go when he called her name, and she turned once more.

"There's one more thing." He said. He sighed, "I'm going to be sending Barton out in a few days to do surveillance for a couple weeks. He had it pretty easy this time. But I'm sitting you out on this one."

Natasha gave a small nod. That was okay. She and Clint had been sent on solo missions before.

"I need you here while we work the China case." He continued.

Natasha frowned, "You're not sending him with us to China, sir, he helped me with Mayamid..."

"At the time we're in China, he and Agent Morse will be doing surveillance Poland."

"Agent... Morse?"

"Bobbi Morse. I believe you met her."

Natasha threw her shoes to the ground in anger, and shouted, "Director, we have worked together for so long... you are taking away my right hand out there!"

Nick stared at her with his good eye. "Agent Romanova, please calm down. I am not replacing her with you. You two are still my top two duo."

Natasha felt herself flush scarlet, which was a rarity in itself. She couldn't believe she had gotten so emotional over the mere thought of losing Clint as a partner. "I'm sorry," She said softly, "I'm just tired and very dirty and..."

Nick gave a curt nod. "I am not sending you to China empty handed. Thor, and Cap will be accompanying you." He cleared his throat, "You're dismissed, Agent Romanova. Go take your shower."

Natasha opened the door to Clint's room, well their room for the time being, and found a king size bed covered in deep red sheets and gold pillows. She paused a moment. Before she and Clint left for their assignment two weeks ago, there had been a double bed, which they both would have fit in fine, and the sheets had been a dark blue. She thought back to earlier in the day and Stark's little nick name for them. She'd have to punch him in the gut.

"Looks like Valentine's Day threw up, doesn't it?" Clint asked her. He was relaxing on the bed, still in his dark sweats. He was propped up against the head board, and reading a book about Poland, probably going over the dialect.

She laughed, and walked to the closet. All of her clothes had been moved and neatly arranged on one side. She'd have to thank Pepper. Clint's mostly black wardrobe hung at the other end of the closet. She took a moment to mentally take a picture of how their clothes looked hanging together. _You're getting soft, Romanova. _

Time to shower.

She turned to the bed and hesitated a moment before sitting down beside him. He didn't acknowledge her, so she assumed that they were going to pretend that their almost kiss never happened. "Do you have any towels?" She asked, spying the bathroom through the room's only other door. Without putting down his book, he reached over into his bedside table, grabbed two towels and handed them to her.

"Thanks," She said with a hiss.

He grunted.

Natasha closed her eyes and let the steam and water rinse away all of the blood and dirt and last mission from her skin. She could still smell Mayamid's salami breath on her neck, so she scrubbed harder. She turned off the shower, pulled on her robe, and towel dried her scarlet hair. Her reflection looked almost normal except for her lip, but that would go away before she had time to miss it. She walked back into the other room, and found Clint had abandoned his book. He lay on the bed, arms under his head, staring up at the ceiling. She padded quietly over to her closet, and grabbed a pair of sweats herself.

Her movement brought him out of his trance, and he turned to her. "Sorry, I'll get out of your way..." He jumped up off the bed and walked to the door.

"I don't want to kick you out," She said. "I could change in the bathroom." She pointed to the bed. "Stay."

He laughed, and walked back to the bed. She grabbed her clothes and shuffled into the bathroom. "So, Poland," She called to him.

"Yea, Poland." He said, and then, "What did Fury want?"

"Nothing much, just to tell me about you and Bobbi."

"It's going to be a cake walk. It's a training exercise. Surveillance in Poland for a couple weeks? Piece of cake."

"How new is she?"

"It's her first mission in the field."

"Wow."

"Yeah,"

"So, you'll be showing her the ropes." Natasha said. Good, this was good. Clint was going to be off getting cozy with a pretty, young blonde.

"Are you alright, Nat?"

"Fine." She wasn't exceptionally pleased that Clint would be training with another attractive young woman. She'd prefer it be a dude. A big one. With muscles. But there was nothing she could do about it. _He's living with you. _She reminded herself. "How long?"

"Three weeks..." he said.

"I'll miss you in China." She said.

"Give them hell for me."

"You got it." She walked out of the bathroom, and laid down beside him. Though it still was early in the day, Natasha was exhausted. "I can not sleep well on choppers." She said.

"You never could." He told her, and wrapped the blanket around her. He saw her eyes beginning to droop, and he heaved himself out of the bed. "You get your rest. I'm going to work out."

"Okay." She whispered, her eyes already closed.

Clint reached over and kissed her forehead before closing the door tightly behind him.


	4. Birds of a Feather

Chap 4: Birds of a Feather

When Tony Stark did anything worthwhile doing, he did it with style. The Avengers sparring room was state of the art. There were different work stations for climbing, archery, a shooting range, weight training, and even a small kitchenette with a panini maker.

Clint headed over to the archery station, and snapped his bow into place. He withdrew an arrow from the quiver on his back, and was just about to get into position when he heard a grunt behind him. He turned and found Bobbi at the shooting range, struggling with a panel on the wall. He put the arrow back and walked over to her.

"Oh, hi, Agent Barton." Bobbi said, mashing her fist into a control panel. "This seems to be stuck."

"You got to put in the pass code." Clint said.

"Oh, I thought Tony was joking about that... it's really 69?"

"Yes," Clint said with a laugh.

She smiled and put the numbers in. There was a whirring sound, and the targets dropped down from the sky. Clint could take all of these out with a strategically placed arrow. But he waited as Bobbi punched in the code on the gun cabinet and withdrew a .45.

"That's got a kick," Clint told her.

"It was what we used in training."

"They do that to put you to the test. Try the .22. Light, speedy, holds more rounds."

Bobbi nodded and withdrew a .22. She grabbed a pair of ear muffs and handed a pair to Clint who slapped them on his head. Clint stood and watched as Bobbi emptied the clip. She wasn't bad with the gun, wasn't great either. Got two head shots. He nodded over to the archery station.

"I've only ever trained with a gun." Bobbi told him.

"I know. But you never know what will be available to you. You could get unarmed."

Bobbi reluctantly picked up the bow, and Clint moved her arms into place for the correct form. "You always want your arms out, away from your body. Head up, back straight." She smiled as he corrected her. He nodded to the targets. "Alright, dazzle me."

Bobbi took a deep breath, aimed, and missed every target. Frustrated, she grabbed the bow, and whacked at the targets.

Clint watched her with his arms folded, trying to suppress a laugh. He thought a moment, "How are you with hand to hand combat?"

"I excelled in that."

The girl wouldn't survive on hand to hand combat alone. For one, it did shit when someone was shooting at you, and two, you needed to get in close proximity of the intruder, and again, it did shit when someone was shooting at you. Clint eyed the barbells. Maybe, just maybe... "Hang on." He said. He walked to the barbells, took the weights off, and handed her the metal staff. "Dazzle me." He repeated.

And dazzle she did. She whipped that pole around her like it was an extension of her arm, crushing and chopping the targets in two. Clint leaned on his bow and observed her. She moved with grace and precision. If she kept this up, one day, she'd be deadly.

Clint walked back into the room to try and settle down for the night when he found Natasha still in bed. He chomped down on the panini he had made in the sparring room. She was awake, but she was staring at the ceiling. "I can see why you do this a lot." She said to him as he got into bed beside her. "The ceiling is vast and empty, and can hold all of your problems if you'd allow it to."

He nodded with a swallow. "I guess that's like all things." He reached over into his plate and handed her the second sandwich. "Brought you dinner."

She laughed, sat up and took the sandwich. "Least you could do. I _am_ in your bed."

"This is the honeymoon suite now."

Neither knew how to respond to that, so they ate in silence.

She smiled at him. "Go to sleep. It's late."

"Good idea," He said as his eyes drifted closed.

Natasha reached out a hand and felt his smooth cropped hair. How peaceful he looked as he slept. Soon his restfulness caught up with her and she closed her eyes.

How long she had been sleeping, she couldn't say, but she was awakened by a shaking of the bed. She opened her eyes and found Clint convulsing in his sleep.

"No!" He shouted, "Run, get away from me!"

"Clint?" Natasha asked, reaching over and turning on the bedside lamp. "Clint!" She shook him gently, and his beautiful blue eyes opened, frantically searching the room before falling on her.

He breathed a sigh of relief, reached out and cupped her face, "Just a dream. It was just a dream." he whispered, before flopping his arms back on the bed.

"Are you alright?" She asked, her gray eyes full with concern.

He shook his head, "I have trouble sleeping sometimes. I keep thinking Loki has control. I'll wake up under his spell again. Sometimes I have horrible nightmares where..."

"Where what?" She whispered.

"Where I... where I kill you." He said, "It's so real, I can feel... I can feel the life leave your body..." he avoided her gaze, and a slight tremor went through his arms.

"Hey, shh, it's okay. It's alright, I'm here." She reached out and rubbed his hair back. She circled both of her arms around his, and brought it to her chest.

"But it's always the same place. Where we fought. I could have killed you, Nat. I could have killed everyone on board. I... I was just a pawn in Loki's games..."

Natasha thought back to that day. How strong he had been. Clint was a master sniper. He didn't miss. If it wasn't for her stealth, he would have gotten the drop on her, and that would have been that. What was worse, was the emptiness in his eyes as they fought, his beautiful blue had been clouded over with Loki juice. "That's over now." She said. "Loki's far away. Thor made sure of that."

"It doesn't change what I've done."

"It wasn't you." She reminded him in a whisper.

"You remember that day too, I know you do."

"It wasn't you, Clint."

"You said you had red in _your_ ledger..."

"Listen to me." She said, "We've all done things in the past that we're not proud of. But Loki taking over... you have to let that go. Nothing you did under Loki was your fault. And you saved a lot of people in New York, and you saved me. You're a good man, Clint."

He pulled her close to him, and she cuddled up to his side. Before they knew it, they both had drifted back off to sleep.


	5. Touch & Go

Ch 5: Touch & Go

PLEASE REVIEW, PLEASE!

The following few weeks for the Avengers were uneventful and restful, but for Tony, completely boring. He prodded Bruce restlessly, trying to get him to lose control and turn into the Hulk. He played practical jokes on Steve, even going as far as to light a flaming bag of dog crap in front of Steve's door. That hadn't worked out for any of them. The sprinklers were set off, and the flaming bag of dog crap became a soggy bag of dog crap that seeped into the original antique oak hardwood floor that had to be replaced. Pepper had let him have it about that one. So, he turned to sciencey wagers. And right now, Banner was about to lose big time. He had $100 bucks that Tony's Iron Man suit couldn't hold up against acid.

"Alright girly, show me what you got." Tony said. He was standing behind Bobbi in the lab as she carried hydrochloric acid in a beaker, over to another table that held a portion of his Iron Man suit. She clenched the tongs tightly.

"If you drop this, we're all dead." Tony told her in her ear.

"Stark, give the girl a break." Bruce said, glancing up from his work station.

"If she drops this, Big Green, I'll bet you'll lick it up off the floor."

Bruce rolled his eyes, "Just take it nice and slow, Bobbi."

Bobbi reached her destination, and held the beaker over the suit, ready. "Okay, guys."

Bruce and Tony slapped goggles on their faces, and joined her at the work station. Ever so slowly, Bobbi let the acid pour onto the suit. It sizzled, and sent off noxious fumes, but it did not crack. There was a click heard overhead, and industrial sized fans began ventilating the room.

"YES!" Tony cried, his arms in the air. "And acid does nothing. What other ideas do you got, Banner?"

Bobbi rubbed Bruce's arm sympathetically. "It was a good theory."

"It doesn't even rust." Bruce said, watching the armor. "What kind of coating do you have on that, Stark?"

"A true magician never reveals his secrets." Tony said. "Pay up. What else ya got?"

Bruce rolled his eyes and stuffed the Benjamin into Tony's hand.

"Sir, Director Fury is on his way." JARVIS announced.

They all looked up when Nick Fury entered the room. "What is going on in here?" He asked. Bobbi looked guilty, Bruce looked mildly surprised, and Tony looked incredibly calm.

"Gambling." Tony replied.

Fury shook his head. "I got a job for you guys."

"Freakin finally. I was thinking you forgot about us." Tony said.

"I have a spear from that alien race Loki led here. I needed specs. I need calibrations. I want to know what makes it tick."

Bruce narrowed his eyes, "You can't be thinking it has anything to do with the Tesseract."

"I don't know what to think, Dr. Banner. That's why I have the smartest minds here in this room."

"Is this the only spear in existence?" Bruce asked.

Fury snapped his head to him, "Why do you ask?"

Tony nodded, "Good point, Hulkamania."

Bruce shrugged, "That was a crazy day. I could see a spear falling into civilian hands."

Fury sighed, "Then you'd be correct. A couple of college kids got their hands on one. We need to see if this is a potential threat. That's why I need those specs, ASAP."

"Can't we just push them down and take it?" Tony asked.

"And risk endangering lives?" Fury shook his head, "I'm having the spear flown in from our Long Island base. It'll be here in an hour. Get me those specs." He said, and left the room.

"Well, that was fun." Tony said.

…...

Steve looked up from his morning paper as Natasha and Clint came out of their room and walked toward the kitchen. They didn't walk hand n- hand, but they slowed their pace to match each other's, and with each stride, their hands momentarily brushed against each other. He felt his eyes cloud over, and his thoughts drift back to one girl. Peggy. No time for that now. That was long ago, and he was sure she lived a happy life without him. He had been told she had.

Steve smiled at them, and they smiled at Natasha and Clint. He was glad that they were so happy, even though they'd never admit it. People around here deserved happiness, besides Stark and Pepper. Steve liked Pepper. She was welcoming and smiling, she had endless patience for Tony's crap, and she got things done.

Clint joined him at the table while Natasha poured them coffee.

"What's for breakfast, Cap?" Clint asked.

"Stark's got an arsenal in the cupboards. Cereal, booze, oatmeal, booze..."

Clint laughed.

"Nothing like Vodka in your Cheerios," Natasha mumbled.

Clint and Steve chuckled.

Natasha placed a cup of coffee before Clint and then gestured the pot to Steve. He waved her off. "Fury said we're having a briefing on China today."

"I heard Thor was coming with us."

"Yeah, he'll be here shortly. He made a pit stop to visit Jane."

"Who's Jane?" Clint asked, taking a sip of his coffee. Well, Stark really did get the best of everything. This coffee tasted like Juan Beldaz had ground the beans himself.

"His... girlfriend, I'd guess you'd say." Natasha answered.

"And how about you, Cap?" Clint asked him, "You should..."

"I should focus on the mission." Steve snapped.

Clint held his hands up defensively. "I was just going to say..."

"Well, don't." Steve said. He slammed his paper down on the table and stormed off.

"He's been through a lot." Natasha said quietly, sitting down next to Clint.

…...

Clint watched as Bobbi got stronger with the bow. Natasha walked in, and sauntered over to him. The girl was more fluid with her movements now, more precise with her attacks.

"How're things going?" She asked.

Clint shrugged, "She's really not bad. She keeps this up, she'll be a contender."

"Has she sparred against a real target yet?"

"No, I..." He caught that look in her eye, and she smiled at him, "Nat, she's just a baby."

"I've got twenty minutes before my briefing."

"She's just a baby, Nat!"

"I'll keep that in mind." Natasha said and walked forward. "JARVIS!"

"Yes, Agent Romanova?"

"Remove the targets. Me and Agent Morse are going to go hand to hand."

Bobbi paused as the targets vanished before her. She turned to Natasha, and glanced at Clint.

"It's alright, I'll walk you through this." Clint said.

"Is that a threat?" Natasha asked him with a smile.

Clint laughed, "Baby, you know it is."

Natasha stood in front of Bobbi and raised her fists.

Bobbi dropped the staff. She raised her fists as well.

"Tuck in low, she's fast." Clint said.

Natasha smiled and started off with a roundhouse that Bobbi blocked with her arm, but the force of Natasha's blow landed her on her ass.

"That's alright, shake it off." Clint said.

Bobbi got back on her feet and came at Natasha with her fists raised. She dodged it easily, and knocked the girl's feet out from under her. Again, Bobbi was knocked to the floor.

"Alright, hold it." Clint said, he walked over, and helped Bobbi to her feet. Natasha crossed her arms as he whispered in her ear tips and pointers. To Bobbi's credit, she did not look shaken, but determined.

"Okay, enough insider trading." Natasha scoffed.

Clint eyeballed her with a smug smile, and whispered one more thing in Bobbi's ear to which she laughed. He backed away then.

Natasha raised her fists once more and Bobbi lunged. She did not attack with her fists, but did a back flip just before Natasha and landed with her thighs around her neck. She sprung Natasha forward to land on her back, and Bobbi put her foot on Natasha's chest. "Yield."

Natasha had been beaten by her own move. She pushed Bobbi's foot off of her and rounded on Clint. He stood there, shaking with laughter. How dare he. He told Bobbi her move! _Her move!_ She jumped to her feet, and poked a finger in Clint's chest. "How... how dare you..."

"She beat you, didn't she?" Clint asked in between laughs.

"That is _my _move, you can't just go teaching her _my _move!:

"You insisted on this."

Natasha scowled, grabbed his arm and flipped him over her body. He kicked her leg out, and she fell on top of him. They stared at each other.

And there it was again.

That chemistry. That charged atmosphere. Natasha cleared her throat, and got to her feet. "I have a briefing." she said. She straightened her uniform, and walked out of the room.

…...

meeting about china

"You ship out in the morning." Fury looked between Natasha, Thor, and Cap's faces. This was it. The intel on the nukes had brought them to this point. Natasha would seduce Ling, find out where the nukes were, then let Cap and Thor storm the place. It should be easy. They were the world's best and brightest, and he was thankful for that.

…...

_"Natasha, Barton's been compromised."_

She didn't sleep well, and when she did, she rarely dreamed. But this night, that one phrase haunted her, and she tossed and turned in the night. She opened her eyes in the darkness, and reached her arm out to the empty cold spot in her bed. He was usually there, snoring softly beside her. But it was okay. He was safe. She had lost so many in her life, especially her husband, Alexei, she couldn't bare to lose Barton too.

Not now, not when the whole Avengers Initiative had finally taken flight. She should feel safe now, but that was a luxury she could never afford. It was the life she led. Usually she'd be able to wind herself down long enough to get a few hours of rest. She was shipping off in the morning with Cap, and Thor. Who know how long she'd be gone this time? What if something happened to him when she wasn't there… what if…

Stop it, Natasha. He was a grown man, highly trained, but still…

Maybe a walk around Stark Tower would clear her head. She got up and fastened a silk robe around her small frame, and slipped into a pair of slippers. What a relief from the tight uniform and boots. The balcony tempted her, until she saw a blur of black out of the corner of her eye.

Clint walked past the open air room, spotted what he thought was Natasha, and doubled back. He gazed at her for a moment longer than he should have in that silk robe. "Nat?" He asked.

She turned to him and gave him a small smile.

"Can't sleep?" He guessed.

She shook her head.

"You never could before a mission." He said.

She shrugged, "You know me well."

"Walk with me," He said.

She was grateful for the company and joined his side without hesitation back into the training room.

She rested against the wall and watched him shoot. Damn, the man was sharp. She watched him move with elite precision, handling his bow like a fine instrument. When she first joined the Avengers, this had been her favorite pastime, though she'd never admit it to him.

"What're you grinning at?" He asked, catching her smile.

"Just thinking of the old days when it was you and me against the world."

He walked over to her, pinched her chin, and flopped next to her. "Now it's a full house."

"It's a good thing, I think." She said.

"That was a time though, wasn't it?" He asked, "You and me…"

"I miss it." She blurted out, and then hung her head. Momentary slip up. That was becoming more common around him now. Before, when it was just the two of them, she found herself more guarded. But now, with everything happening, what had happened to him with Loki, she didn't want to die without him knowing…

"Nat…" He whispered.

"Clint, I…" She turned to him, and found that his deep blue were staring into her grey. The atmosphere was charged between them. They always had a great chemistry, they moved in sync, even finished each others sentences. They were as one.

He reached out and cupped her face, and she found herself cradling into his hand.

"You'll be fine, and you'll come back to me."

Before she could say anything, he pulled away from her and walked back to the practice floor, drawing his bow once more. He turned to her and grinned, "You up for a challenge?"

She grinned in return, slipped out of her slippers and walked to him. She couldn't refuse him. He knew that. Clint punched a panel on the wall, and the ceiling lit up with a dozen targets. She eyed him warily. Where was the challenge?

He grinned again, punched another button, and the target zoomed down, to stop inches from her face. Natasha didn't think. She acted, and answered by clipping the target in two with a roundhouse.

"Nice," Clint said, and stowed his bow. "No weapons. Eleven targets left. Let's do this."

He pushed the button again, ran to her, and placed his back against hers.

Ah, this really was like the good ol days. Natasha grinned, and put her fists up as the target approached. An uppercut smashed that in two, and she ducked as one came in on her right. Clint punched that with a force to knock it into the wall.

Ten minutes later, she was panting against the wall. She hadn't had a workout like that in awhile. Clint grinned, handed her a bottle of water, and slumped beside her.

"Thanks for that," She said, raising her bottle to him. "Cheers."

They walked back to their room, laughing quietly. He put the key in the lock and followed her inside. She laid down on the bed, and he laid next to her. Instead of just curling into his side as she did most every night, she turned her face to him in the darkness, and saw that his eyes were open too. She reached up and ran a finger down his face. When he slept, all of the worry faded from his face. He reached over and kissed her softly on the lips. That was all Natasha needed. She grabbed his face, and kissed him long and hard. Clint took her cue, and rolled on top of her. Natasha opened her legs, letting him get closer to her. He moved to kissing her neck, and Natasha moaned quietly.

"Natasha," He breathed against her neck.

"Mmmm?" She asked.

"Do you... maybe we should..."

"I want this," She said, grabbing his face, and staring directly into his eyes.

"All I needed to hear." Clint said, and covered her lips with his own.

Natasha was curled next to Clint's bare chest, her hand laid upon it. That had been one of the best nights of her life. Clint snored softly beside her, one arm wrapped around her waist. She studied his body in the pale morning light. He was chiseled like a Greek God and the sheet barely covered the lower half of his body. What an amazing man he was. She hated to leave, but she had to go. She wanted to stay here, wrapped in his arms every night. She got up, showered and dressed, and slung her pack over her shoulder. She kissed him softly on the lips as he slept, left a small note on his bedside table, and left the room.


	6. Echoes from the Past

Chp 6: Echoes of the Past

Clint stretched and reached for her, just as he did every morning. He frowned when there was no tangle of hair beneath his fingers. He looked up and found the room empty, and a note on his nightstand. Everything that happened the night before came rushing back to him. That steamy night of passion between them. Him sliding in and out between her thighs. He sat up and reached for the note.

Clint-

We should have done this a lot sooner. What a sendoff.

Love,

Natasha

He laughed and got up to go relieve his bladder. There was a knock on his door, and he checked the time. 8:15 am, and it was a Saturday. Odd. He had no meeting today. He pulled his sweats on and answered the door.

"Hi Agent-" Bobbi stopped short when she found she was staring into the dreamy chest of Clint Barton.

"Bobbi, hey, sorry..." Clint dashed back inside and pulled on a shirt. "how can I help you?"

"Nick wanted me to come get you. I hope I didn't wake you."

"Oh, we're getting our mission briefings?" He asked her.

She bit her bottom lip, "I'm not sure..."

He smiled at her. "That's okay. I'll be there in a minute."

"Is there anything I can get you... a coffee or a biscotti? Tony had these amazing white chocolate almond flown in from Italy."

He laughed, "Just a black coffee would be fine, thank you."

"Great, I'll see you at the meeting then."

"Okay," Clint said and shut the door. He gave his head a small shake. If she kept that up, she'd get eaten alive.

Natasha crossed her legs and smiled at Ling from her chair. Her alias was Miranda Holten, the wife of potenitial presidential canididate, John Holten who was busy with the campaign in the states. The Holtens had just made a large donation-SHIELD faked it of course, to Ling's own corporate company that specialized in robotic engineering, and Miranda had flown over to see their money in action. She had been granted audience with the General, and now sat across from him sipping black tea from a beautiful scarlet and gold tea cup. Natasha decided she had chatted long enough with the general and needed to start probbing for information on the nukes that Prince Mayamid said that Ling had. Cap and Thor sat waiting patiently to retrieve said nuclear devices just ouside of Ling's massive palace.

"I'm surprised your husband couldn't join us for tea," Ling told her. He was a small man in his sixties with a receding hair line, and piercing dark eyes. When he smiled, it didn't quite reach his eyes, only the ends of his mouth twitched up for a second as if it was a new concept and he wasn't sure he was doing it right.

And Ling had provided her opening. Maybe she wouldn't have to work tonight afterall, though she doubted getting this information would be easy. Natasha nodded, "I apologize about that, General Ling. We'll have to get together once more after the election."

"I would be delighted." Ling said.

"I'm just fascinated, and, John is to, about technology. I mean, my cell phone pretty much runs my life."

Ling did that odd smile, "We're more advanced than cell phone technology, Mrs. Holten."

"I'd love to tour your facility and see what goes on first hand. I'd have quite a story for John." She added a dazzling smile for good measure.

Ling took a sip of his tea, "Artificial Intelligence is the highest form of robotics in the world. Global Dynamic will be the first to create a fully functioning Android."

Natasha studied this piece of information for a moment. SHIELD's intel had said that the nukes were in Global Dynamic. Could... no... but could this general be created humanoid robots that were rigged with nuclear devices? Alarm bells in her head were going off. It was terrifying, but brilliant.

Ling continued, "As I am sure you're aware, this is a very delicate process." He nodded over her shoulder. "If you'd look behind you, that is I, our head engineer and the Android, T.A.R.A. She's been in the news and to expos."

Miranda looked and saw the photograph in question. Ling, and another man had their arms around what appeared to be a woman- well the top half of her anyway. Her torso sat on a table, and she was smiling.

"If you remember correctly, T.A.R.A could talk and sing lullabies to children. We hadn't been able to create legs for her yet, but our technology has come a long way."

Natasha smiled, "I remember her! Every household in the world would want one. Almost like a nanny."

"Almost, but not quite. By today's standards, T.A.R.A was a failure. She could not move. Who wants a nanny that cannot move? We have solved that problem."

"You mean she can walk?"

"I mean she prepared the tea you're drinking."

Natasha looked down at her cup with her mouth open, "A robot did this?"

"An android based life form. She can store your favorites in her database, vaccuum your floors, and sing your children to sleep."

"I'd love to meet her."

Ling raised his hand with a smile, "I can't give away too much, Mrs. Holten."

Natasha nodded, "I understand. But would she also be able to help me unload the minivan?" She laughed.

"At the present moment, T.A.R.A can lift three hundred and fifty pounds, by your standards."

"And kick a soccer ball?"

Ling laughed, "We haven't clocked the velocity yet."

"Oh my," Natasha said with a laugh. "Something like that could replace an army."

Ling eyed her coldly, "What a funny thing to say."

"Excuse me?" Natasha asked.

"You yourself was married to an army man, were you not?"

Shit. What the hell was Ling saying? There was no possible way that he could know who she was. Her alias was iron clad.

"I think you have confused me with someone else, General. My husband is Johnny, and I don't have any other husbands that I know about." She gave a chuckle.

"I see. I guess it was better for you to forget him, Miss Romanova."

Natasha set down her tea cup. She hoped Cap and Thor had not fallen asleep while listening to this conversation.

"One of the famous Black Widows. I'm surprised you left your motherland."

"I want the nukes, Ling." Natasha said, "And I'm not leaving empty handed."

Ling smiled, "Tare this place apart. You'll never find them."

"No man should have that much power." Natasha said.

"Besides your government, right? The grand ol' USA. Your country is a joke, Miss Romanova. And you bore me. I tire of talking about work. At least, before you die, you can give me a show." He nodded to his guards and they descended on Natasha. She counted at least ten, and heard distant footsteps running to the room. Natasha slipped out of her shoes and brought down the first guard before another grabbed her around the throat. Where the hell was her back up?

"Thor's on the way, ma'am!" a voice greeted her ear. It was Steve, and he sounded busy.

Freakin finally. Natasha lost track of how many guards she had taken down. They kept coming, like clones being produced. And all at once, she was struck by something heavy, and she dropped to the floor. She vaguely felt being cradled in someone's arms, and her name being repeated. She felt the wind on her face, and then slipped into the darkness.

Steve looked up when Thor landed just behind him. He could see a mass of people heading in their direction, shouting in Chinese. They either needed to stand and fight or to make their escape. Thor cradled Natasha's unconscious form in his arms.

Steve groaned. This was not good. "What happened?"

"I hit a guard with my hammer. She got in the way."

"You hit her with your hammer?"

"Nay," Thor said, "The guard I hit flew into her. She's breathing fine, she'll come around."

"Hide her somewhere behind us. We make a stand. No one gets past us. We push forward. The intel from Fury says that the nukes are in that building." He pointed to a large brick just east of their location.

"Agreed."

Bobbi looked across the table at Agent Barton. He sat straight in his chair, moving it back and forth slightly as he listened to Nick. She couldn't believe her luck. Being sent on her first mission with _him_! He was a magnificent man. Strong, smart, and _sexy_. His biceps bulged as he crossed his arms, thinking. He caught her eye and smiled. Her heart actually fluttered.

"Everything okay, Bobbi?" Nick asked.

"Fine." She answered with a smile. The plan was pretty straight forward. She'd be spending her days on rooftops tailing a man named Logan. Objective: gather as much intel as possible without getting caught.

"Alright then, dismissed." Fury said. "Agent Barton, I'd like a word."

Bobbi got up from her seat, and collected her notes. She walked to the door and turned back to Clint. "I'll see you at 1700 hours then."

"Pack warm clothes." Clint told her with a nod.

"Okay," She said with a smile, "Bye!"

"Bye." He turned to Fury. "Sir?"

Fury sighed. "Look, this isn't easy for me to say..."

Clint stared at him. He knew Fury to be rattled at times, but this was something else. He looked... terrified.

"Agent Morse's father and I go back a long way. I partnered her with you because I knew you'd look after her. But I have to know. I need to know if she's ready."

_Oh_. He was more than Director Fury now. Here was this father figure to Bobbi, looking out for her well being. But Clint had been training her, watching her grow and learn.

"If I had any doubts, I would have come to you." Clint said. "Bobbi is a skilled young woman. She's proven that. Some of the qualities I see in her, I saw in Natasha."

Fury laughed, "I remember that day when you brought her in. The council had expected you to return with her head, and you drug her in her like a young man with a major award."

"I never got a raise for that," Clint joked, "Turning a Black Widow to our side."

Fury placed his hand on Clint's shoulder. "You gained something much more valuable, something I'm sure you didn't anticipate."

Yes, he had. He had gained the best partner he could ever ask for, the sexiest woman he had ever seen, and now, a lover.

"I'm going to move toward the building!" Cap told Thor. "Do you got this?" He watched as Thor sent guards flying with his hammer. They kept coming, like they were made from an assembly line.

"Go." Thor told him.

Cap took off running, and then got blind sided. He saw a flash of red. He got to his feet, and couldn't believe his eyes. It was like he was looking into a mirror. For who stood before him seemed to be an exact replica of him, only his uniform was red.

"Who are you?" Steve asked.

"I'm called the Red Guardian." The man answered in a heavy Russian accent.

Cap sized up his opponent. He glanced back at Thor, who finally seemed to be out of work. Thor protected Natasha with his body as she slowly came around. He watched as Steve approached the Red Guardian. They appeared to be of equal mass, though the Red Guardian held a smug smile on his face. This wasn't good. Thor picked Natasha up in his arms and carried her a safe distance. He placed her under a bush, and placed her hands on her stomach. "Fear not, for I shall be but mere feet away." He ran over to where Steve had been moments before, and then heard the sound of Steve's shield hitting human flesh. He looked over and the two were trading blows. Thor grabbed his hammer just in time for Steve to be thrown back into him. They collapsed to the ground, but Thor was in his feet in minutes. He reached down a hand and helped Steve to his feet. "What's the outlook here?"

"He's strong. Really strong, I think... I think he's another super soldier."

Thor grinned, "Give me a round." He ran up to the Red Guardian, and swung his hammer clean into his jaw. The Guardian dropped like a stone. Thor smirked. "Not strong enough."

The men turned as they heard a groan behind them. Natasha was wobbly on her feet, and clutching her head. Steve ran forward and placed an arm around her waist. "How're you feeling?"

"Like I got hit by a freight train. Did you guys get my shoes?"

"Shoes?" Thor asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Nevermind. What's going on..." She stopped short as she saw the man laying before her. "No. No, it can't be..." She ran over to him and knelt beside him. His eyes were closed, but every detail of his face that she had memorized was before her. She gently removed his mask and gasped.

"Natasha," Steve said gently as he knelt beside her. "Do you know this man?"

"He's my husband." She whispered.


	7. Into the Deep

Ch 7: Into the Deep

"What a bunch of nerds." Tony said, observing the two guys playing World of Warcraft. He was clad in his suit, hovering inches from a dorm room window. The alien spear was displayed prominently on a wall, just above a bookshelf clad with a small army of Transformers, and a glowing bat signal.

"A bat signal," Tony scoffed, "Like that dude is real."

"Sir, may I remind you that Bruce Wayne does live in Gotham..." JARVIS said.

"Yeah, I get it JARVIS. I'm just saying..."

"Do you see the spear?" Came a slightly annoyed voice in his ear. It was Bruce, and he was down on the ground, peering up at Tony. Clearly he had heard the bantering.

"Yep, it's hanging on the nerds' wall. I just see two of them. They're doing nerdly things."

"Well, let's go in and get it."

"And give the nerds a total geek out? What if they hug me?" Tony asked.

"Then you will deal with it."

"Don't think so."

"Tony..."

"I'm coming down to discuss this."

Clint should have known that something was wrong the second his feet touched the roof of the building. It was quiet, so eerily quiet. It was as if this part of the world was in a sound proof bubble. He strapped his bow to his back anyway, and felt Bobbi hit the ground behind him. They waved off the chopper, and were now on their own.

"Alright," Clint said to her, "I'm following your lead out here. You've been through training. What's our first objective?"

Bobbi looked like she had three heart attacks at once. She suddenly looked tiny carrying her large duffel bag. She cleared her throat, and tried to think. "Establish a safe perimeter or hide out."

Clint smiled, "Good." He looked around. "Where do you think that would be?"

"Uhmmm..."

Clint let her think a moment, and kept his ears open for things around him. Shouting. Rapid footsteps. Anything out of the ordinary. Trouble was, it was so damn quiet he couldn't get a handle on what the normal nightlife sounded like. He kept that in the back of his mind, and turned back to Bobbi. She seemed to be trembling. "Are you scared, Agent Morse?"

"Just a little nervous." She said sheepily.

"You can't be nervous." He told her. "Being nervous gets you killed. Your enemies will not hesitate to take their shot. You can't hesitate either." He scanned the building's rooftop. He spotted a darkened corner by the stairwell. "There. By the stairs. Follow me and stay low."

"Is this where we're sleeping?" She asked when she joined him.

"No. There's an empty apartment inside. We'll use that as base. But we could, if we had to. Look at the angle of the roof above the door. Even in the day, this small area would be in darkness. This is a prime spot. You can hear who's coming up the stairs. You can make a fast getaway."

Bobbi nodded. "I have a lot to learn."

"Well, good thing you got me as a teacher." He give her a half smile, and she grinned in return.

Yes, it was a good thing. She watched him as he opened the door to the stairwell, and flattened himself against the side of the building. He took a deep breath, and turned on a swivel, fluidly pulling a gun from his the holster on his leg. He aimed it inside and entered. She felt a tingle zip up her spine. This man really could do everything. Bobbi waited in the darkness until his voice rang out, "All clear."

Bobbi entered after him. He was perched on the top step, listening. He put a finger to his lips, and she lingered on that image longer than she should have. Bobbi held her breath. She kept her head stationary, and looked out both corners of her eyes. Everything seemed quiet. She moved her hand to her gun, and listened as well.

After several moments, Clint spoke. "Let's get inside. Something's not kosher here, I feel like we're being watched, I just can't..." He shook his head. "Inside, now." He went to the nearest door, and for a second, Bobbi thought he was going to pick the lock. Instead, he brought his foot up, and with a heavy slam kicked the door wide open. He grabbed her by the arm, shoved her inside the room and slammed the door closed. "Get the blinds." He said as he fiddled with the now busted dead bolts on the door.

Bobbi felt a rush of adrenaline followed by a panic as she rushed to the windows. She stayed low as possible, and shut them all. The room was a moderate size; it had a small kitchen to the left and a large open space to the right. There was a small hallway behind the kitchen that lead to the bathroom and bedroom. Bobbi slumped down against the wall, and turned to Clint. He was busy checking his bow.

"What's going on?" She asked. "I don't hear anything."

"I do. I can't put my finger on it, but someone definitely knows we're here."

"Logan?" She asked.

"Perhaps. Whoever it is can conceal themselves pretty damn well. Someone that's been on the run." He walked over to her then, and looked down, "Sorry I grabbed you, but we were sitting ducks in that stairwell."

Bobbi felt herself smile. "It's nothing."

"Good," He said, turning back to his bow. "What do you think our next move would be?"

Bobbi thought a moment. Hot sex and tacos? She shoved that thought to the back of her mind. She thought back to training. Since they had established a safe hideout, they needed to establish a vantage point of the targets known whereabouts. "A vantage point." She said, and then her stomach rumbled.

Clint nodded, "Correct. But first, the best Kielbasa you'll ever eat." he reached out a hand and helped her to her feet.

The mood on the helicopter was somber. They had found the nukes, which were being handled by SHIELD's HAZMAT team, but they had also found this man... this man that was Natasha's husband, that was exactly like Steve. And he watched the man known as Red Guardian as he lay there, knocked out by Thor's hammer. What did this mean? Steve thought that he was the only one, and know this man who practically copied his uniform lay before him. He glanced over to Natasha who sat in one of the chairs. She had her head back against the rest, but her eyes were open. Steve was closer to the Red Guardian than she was.

Thor, who sat across from Natasha was the first to speak, "What does this mean?" He asked.

"It means that the Russians developed a Super Soldier program as well... didn't they, Natasha?" Steve said, turning to her.

Natasha was silent for a moment, and then a small tear rolled down her cheek. "I thought he was dead." She whispered. She lifted her head to meet Steve's eyes. "I had no idea... that... that they did this to him. He was a pilot in the airforce, and a KGB agent, and they told me he had been killed."

Steve walked over to her, and put a hand on her shoulder, "What's his name?"

Natasha glanced at the Red Guardian as he lay there, memories flooding her mind. She had been a ballerina by day, spy by night. He had come to every one of her recitals, always sitting in the front row with her favorite flowers and a smile from ear to ear. "Alexei Shostokav." She said.

"Fury will want him." Steve told her.

"But can we trust this man?" Thor asked.

They both looked at Natasha.

"I don't know," She whispered. "I don't know who he is anymore."


	8. The Good Guys

Chapter 8: The Good Guys

"I can't believe I'm doing this." Tony said, "I can't believe I am reasoning with nerds."

"They're just kids, Tony."

"They are not kids, they are nerds."

Bruce shook his head as they entered the elevator. "Hey, you talked me into the suit."

Tony and Bruce were dressed in black suits, white button down shirts and matching black ties.

"When you're dealing with nerds, you need to do things they will understand." Tony said. "Put on your glasses." He reached into his vest pocket and put on a pair of dark shades.

"I'm not putting on sunglasses."

"And why not?" Tony asked as the elevator doors opened.

"Because we're inside."

"You never reasoned with nerds, did you?" Tony asked as they walked down the hall.

"I am not putting on the glasses."

"Put them on or this won't work."

"This is the one, isn't it?" Bruce asked, stepping up to the door. "Room 1605." He knocked on the door.

In a swift motion, Tony pulled the glasses out of Bruce's pocket and slapped them on his face just as the door opened.

A pimply faced eighteen year old with short curly brown hair answered, his mouth hanging wide open. He was wearing a faded Pac Man t-shirt and his breath smelled like stale pizza.

"Greetings, Earthling." Tony said.

Bruce gave Tony a look, removed his glasses and turned to the boy. "Hi there, son. What's your name?"

"Edwin. Are you from the government?" He asked.

"Yes." Tony said.

"I'm Dr. Banner, this is Dr. Stark, we're here on behalf of SHIELD."

Tony made a face at the name Dr. Stark. "Actually, I'm Mister Stark to you."

Edwin turned and called into the room, "Hey, Franklin, come here!"

Another boy, a portly young man came and stood beside him. He too had short curly brown hair, but glasses that magnified his beady eyes. He wore a sweaty Batman shirt.

"This is my brother." Edwin said.

"Hi." Said Franklin. "Hey, are you guys The Men in Black? This is so cool!"

"Not cool." Tony said.

"We're here for the spear, kids." Bruce said.

"Well, you can't have it." Franklin said. "It's a collector's item."

Tony scowled, and hovered over the young man. Bruce put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't get mad."

"You're worried about _me_ getting mad?" Tony asked.

Edwin looked between the two. "Who exactly are you guys again?" He asked.

"Look, nerds," Tony said, "We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Hand over the spear, or I'll take it."

"I'd like to see a warrant." Franklin said.

"I got your warrant." Tony said. He strolled over to the wall and plucked the spear from its hangings.

"Hey!" Franklin said. He tried reaching for the spear but Tony held it high above his head.

"Look, guys, you know enough that if that spear falls into the wrong hands, bad things will happen." Bruce said.

"How do we know what you'll do with it?" Edwin demanded.

"Because we're the good guys." Bruce said. He turned to Tony, "Let's go."

"I'm having fun here. I'm playing with nerds." Tony said, watching Franklin jump for the spear.

"Now." Bruce said. "Have a good day, gentlemen." He turned and walked out the door.

Tony followed after him. "Clean up this place." He said to the two boys. "Stay in school. And... get girlfriends!" He followed after Bruce, the spear in his hand. "Did you give me an order back there?" He asked.

"Yes."

"Was that you or the Green Machine?"

Bruce gave him a look.

"I'm just curious, was it you or him?"

"I'm not dignifying that with a response." Bruce said, the smallest of smiles on his lips as they walked out the door.

…...

Clint and Bobbi jumped over rooftops on the way back to their room. They had full bellies and were now ready for a long night of surveillance. Clint stopped short just before he reached the door leading to the stairwell. "I hear... get down!"

Bobbi hit the dirt just as the door to the stairwell was blasted open. Standing before her was the biggest man she had ever seen. He was bigger than in his picture. It was Logan. And he was angry. Despite the night's chill, he wore a tank top with an open grey jacket, and jeans. His huge chest heaved with fury. Clint fired an arrow into his chest. Logan pulled it out and tossed it aside before Clint had time to detonate the tranquilizer. "Who the hell are you?" Logan demanded, "Why are you following me?"

Clint raised his hands, placing his bow on the ground. "Logan, we're not following you. We're here on behalf of SHIELD."

"What the fuck is SHIELD?"

"A government agency that flies under the radar."

"How do you know my name?" Logan asked, and Bobbi watched amazed as three long razor sharp prongs protruded from each hand. It was something to read about it and something else to see it in person.

"We've come to make you an offer. We're interested in you joining our team."

"I'm not a part of any team." Logan said, "You've been following me for weeks. I want answers."

"We know about your work with Charles Xavier." Bobbi said, slowly getting to her feet. "We're good guys, like you."

Logan took a step toward her, and in a flash, Clint raised his bow again. Logan eyed him with a look of disdain.

"You have your defenses, I have mine." Clint said.

Logan turned back to Bobbi, "Do I look like a good guy?"

"You haven't hurt us, even though you could have." Bobbi said.

"This doesn't have to get ugly." Clint said. "All's we want to do is talk."

Logan laughed, "You want to talk but you brought an arsenal with you."

"Just precautions," Clint assured.

"Where's the rest of you?" Logan asked, "You jokers have been tailing me."

"We're not following you!" Bobbi shouted. "We just got here tonight!"

Logan looked between Clint and Bobbi. The claws on his hands began to recede. Bobbi felt her breath come out in a whoosh, knowing that with the wrong move, they'd be back out in a flash. Logan walked over to the arrow he had discarded and picked it up to examine it. "What the hell is this?"

"It's laced with a tranq that could drop an elephant."

"So you meant to kidnap me."

"Like I said, it was just a precaution." Clint said.

"Please," Bobbi said, "We don't mean to harm you. Maybe we could..."

Clint held up his hand, and she fell quiet. He looked at Logan, and he was sure he heard the same thing. Rapid footsteps trying to be quiet. The soft rustle of fabric.

"Who the fuck did you bring here!" Logan roared, his claws aiming at Clint. He stopped short when he saw Clint aiming at out at a target that Logan couldn't see.

"They're here for you. There's many. Fight with us or get out of here." Clint said.

Logan looked between Clint and Bobbi. Clint let an arrow fly, and Bobbi was unholstering her gun. Without another word, he slipped into the shadows and was gone.

"What's happening?" Bobbi asked, running to his side.

Clint shook his head. "We need an extraction!" Clint yelled into his ear piece. He turned to Bobbi. "Get back over into our hiding spot. I'll take out as many as I can. Anything that makes it onto this roof, you blow away. Clean head shots."

Bobbi looked terrified. This was for real. "Agent Barton, I don't know if I can..."

"You can." Clint told her. "You have to. Remember what I told you. Good luck." He reached over and kissed her forehead.

Bobbi felt the warmth of his lips spread throughout her entire body. She smiled at him, and dashed to the corner. As soon as she made it over there, Clint was firing. Bobbi watched with baited breath as his arrow supply ran dangerously low. Without a second thought, Bobbi joined Clint by his side.

"What are you doing?" Clint asked, "Get back over there!"

"You're running out of ammo, you can't take them all on by yourself!"

"I have a spare quiver, Bobbi, do as I say!"

But Bobbi was busy firing, easily picking them off as they ran toward her.

"Don't take out every one, you're going to be a sitting duck!"

And just as those words were spoken, her gun clicked empty. She jammed her next clip into her gun, but not before three large men were sneaking up on her. Clint saw them out of the corner of his eye, ducking in the shadows. They were mere feet from her. "Your twelve o' clock!" He shouted.

She'd never have time to get a shot off before they closed in on her. Clint turned and fired at them, successfully taking them down. And then he felt searing pain enter his shoulder. Not once, not twice, but three times. He collapsed to the ground.

Bobbi couldn't believe her eyes. Clint had been shot. And it was all her fault. Her training kicked back in. She had to get over to him. "WE NEED THAT CHOPPER NOW!" She screamed into her ear piece. "Agent Barton is down!" In a mixture of her sweat and tears, she stayed low, and made her way over to him. She checked the rooftops. There was one straggler, no doubt the one that had shot Clint, and he was ducked behind the roof across from them. Bobbi sat up and fired, and heard a grunt from across the way. She ducked low once more, and listened. They seemed to be alone for now. She knelt next to Clint, his eyes creased with pain, his hands still gripping his bow.

"Agent Barton," Bobbi whispered, prying the bow and arrow from his hands. "Let me see."

Clint was struggling to get to his knees. "Where are they?"

"They're gone. I think." She whispered. She examined his shoulder, noticing the three dark holes in his right shoulder. They were clustered so closely together, it was as if an expert had shot. "What can I do?" She asked.

"Are you hurt?" He asked her.

"No." She replied.

"Get on comm." He grunted, "Tell them to send the damn chopper."

"Clint, Barbara, chopper ETA thirty seconds." Hill said in their ears.

Clint slumped down to the ground, examining his wound.

"Agent Barton, I'm so sorry." She whispered. "I thought..."

He shook his head, "Part of being a field agent is following orders. Listening to your superiors."

The chopper touched down then, and Clint breathed a sigh of relief.

…...

Alexei Shostokav lay in a hospital bed in Avengers Tower. He had been cleared by the staff, but they had him restrained. Fury wasn't sure what to think of him yet, so he had asked Natasha to talk to him, if she was up to it. She sat across from him, once again drinking in every detail of his face, being bombarded with memories of the past. He had recognized her when he first regained consciousness. There was not a moment's hesitation. Both had fallen silent.

He stared out the window now, watching the sights and sounds of New York. "So, this is what became of you." He said.

"I'm happy here." She replied. "I've got a partner, and SHIELD has forgiven me. I've been able to forgive myself... mostly."

"No regrets, Tasha." He said to her, using the nickname he had for her. Her heart leapt at that.

"You can't tell me that, Alex." She said. "I see things a lot differently know. I'm not who I used to be."

"You are." He insisted, "You're doing what you always did. Just for these... _americans_ now."

"This is my home now. I gave up Russia a long time ago."

"And me as well."

"That's not fair. They had told me you died, I..."

He reached for her hand then, and she paused. That was something between them that had always calmed her down. His warm hand enclosing hers comforted her like no other. She sighed, and gave him her hand. He rubbed his thumb over the palm of her hand, and looked down at her barren ring finger.

"I gave it to your mother." She whispered. "When I left."

He was silent then.

Just then, Hill's voice came in over the intercom in the room. "Natasha, Agent Barton's returned. He's been injured."

Natasha excused herself from Alexei, and ran down the hall. All she had heard was that Clint was back, but had been injured. He was alive, and that's all she needed to know.. She couldn't fathom the question to ask it. She had to see for herself. The guards outside of his room let her in without a question. Her breath caught in her throat. A surgeon was by his bedside, digging something out of his arm. Clint's eyes were squeezed shut against the pain, and he gritted his teeth as there was a _plink_ and a bloody bullet was plopped onto a sterile tray. Natasha ran over to his other side, and grabbed his hand.

"Don't look at it, look at me." She demanded.

He turned his head to her, his face creased with pain.

"It's almost over." She whispered, and smoothed his hair back. She heard two more _plinks _and wiped the sweat from his brow.

What seemed like an eternity later, Clint had been stitched and bandaged, and was given a heavy dose to alleviate some of the pain.

"What happened?" She whispered, smoothing his hair back.

"We were ambushed. The whole damn thing was a set up. They knew we were coming." He shook his head, "Bobbi got cornered, and I did what I had to do."

Natasha nodded. Of course he'd save the girl. Clint would never let her get hurt, just like he'd never let her get hurt either, if there was anything he could do about it. "Get some rest," She said.

"I missed you," He said to her, and cupped her face with his free hand. She craddled into it, and kissed his palm before latching onto it with both of her own.

"How'd China go?" He asked.

"We took down Ling. The nukes are in a secure facility." She paused, and looked down at their entwined hands.

"There's something else..." He started.

"You rest now, we'll talk later." She promised.

"Is everyone okay?" He asked her.

"Yes."

"Natasha, just tell me, please."

She shook her head, "Alexei is alive. He's about three doors down from you. He was fighting for Ling."

His pupils dialated. "What?"

There was a small knock, and Bobbi stood in the threshold with a small cactus. "Agent Barton, I'm so sorry. They wouldn't let me in when you were getting stitched up..."

Natasha felt a pang of pride. They wouldn't let this newbie in, but she, Natasha who was Clint's partner, and friend, they didn't even bat an eyelash at. They'd have to let her in after she knocked them out, but it was nice to know they respected her and Barton's relationship.


End file.
